The turban, as well as the four other articles of faith worn by Sikhs, has an immense spiritual and temporal significance. When a Sikh man or woman dons a turban, the turban ceases to be just a band of cloth for it becomes one and the same with the Sikh's head. For the Khalsa, the turban is not to be regarded as merely an item of cultural paraphernalia.

Though not required to wear a turban many Sikh Kaurs (women) also choose to wear a turban. All baptised male Sikhs are required to wear a Dastaar. More appropriately known in the Panjab as a dastaar, the Sikh turban is an article of faith which was made mandatory by the founder of the Khalsa.

Thus, a turbaned Sikh has always stood out from the crowd, as the Guru intended for he wanted his 'Saint-Soldiers' to not only be easily recognizable, but easily found as well. He wanted his Khalsa to be different and to be determined 'to stand out from the rest of the world' and to follow the unique path that had been set out by the Sikh Gurus. This was to be worn in recognition of the high moral standards that he had charted for his Khalsa followers. Guru Gobind Singh, in defiance of this infringement by the Mughals asked all of his Sikhs to wear the turban. All non-Muslims were strictly barred from wearing a pagri. During the Mughal domination of India, only the Muslims were allowed to wear a turban. Traditionally, the turban represents respectability, and has long been an item once reserved for nobility only. Sikhs are famous for their many and distinctive turbans. The Sikh pagdi (ਪਗੜੀ) is also called dastaar (ਦਸਤਾਰ), which is a more respectful word in Punjabi for the turban. Vast majority of people who wear turbans in the Western countries are Sikhs. Sikhism is the only religion in the world in which wearing a turban is mandatory for all adult males. Traditionally in India, the turban was only worn by men of high status in society men of low status or of lower castes were not allowed or could not afford to wear a turban.Īlthough the keeping of unshorn hair was mandated by Guru Gobind Singh as one of the Five K's or five articles of faith, it has long been closely associated with Sikhism since the very beginning of Sikhi in 1469. It is a headdress consisting of a long scarf-like single piece of cloth wound round the head or sometimes an inner 'hat' or patka. All these words refer to the garment worn by both men and women to cover their heads. The turban or 'pagri' often shortened to 'pag' or 'dastar' are different words in various dialect for the same article. Picture by Paul Schmid / The Seattle Times

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